Kategoria BISAC: Technology & Engineering >> Agriculture - Forestry

In recent years, Japan, like many other forest-dependent nations, has been facing difficult times: forest self-sufficiency is low; areas left unplanted after harvesting are increasing; and forest industries and companies are losing international competitiveness in the global market.

Such challenges are not unique to Japan but are relevant -- and all too familiar -- to forest industry stakeholders around the world. This book, representing the work of distinguished Japanese scholars, is the first comprehensive English-language overview of forestry, forest management, and the forest...

In recent years, the forests of British Columbia have become a battleground over sustainable resource development. The conflicts are ever present, usually pitting environmentalists against the forest industry and forestry workers and communities. In an effort to broker peace in the woods, British Columbia's government launched a number of promising new forest policy initiatives in the 1990s.

The authors are Benjamin Cashore, Auburn University; George Hoberg, University of British Columbia; Michael Howlett, Simon Fraser University; Jeremy Rayner, Malaspina University College; and...

Biofuels and food are dependent on the same resources for production: land, water, and energy. The conjuncture of food, energy, and climate crises demands a new direction in how to harness agriculture to the joint tasks of energy-saving, emissions reduction, and food security. Global Economic and Environmental Aspects of Biofuels focuses on the all-important question of the efficacy of biofuels as a solution to the global energy problem. Written by a distinguished team from five countries and multiple disciplines including agronomy, petroleum engineering, ecology, and...

Forest management has evolved from a mercantilist view to a multi-functional one that integrates economic, social, and ecological aspects. However, the issue of sustainability is not yet resolved. Quantitative Techniques in Participatory Forest Management brings together global research in three areas of application: inventory of the forest variables that determine the main environmental indices, description and design of new environmental indices, and the application of sustainability indices for regional implementations.

The book outlines a public participatory process to assess...

Many terms often used to describe old-growth forests imply that these forests are less vigorous, less productive and less stable than younger forests. But research in the last two decades has yielded results that challenge the view of old-growth forests being in decline. Given the importance of forests in battling climate change and the fact that old-growth forests are shrinking at a rate of 0.5% per year, these new results have come not a moment too soon.

This book is the first ever to focus on the ecosystem functioning of old-growth forests. It is an exhaustive compendium of...

Homegardens are integrated tree crop animal production systems, often in small parcels of land surrounding homesteads, and primarily found in tropical environments. These agroforestry systems, developed and nurtured by farmers through generations of innovation and experiment, are often cited as the epitome of sustainability, yet have been long neglected by the scientific community. Today, however, these age-old systems are receiving increasing attention owing to their perceived potential to mitigate environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity and rising levels of atmospheric...